What Yan Told Figueiredo Before UFC Macau
At the first faceoff for UFC Macau in November 2024, Petr Yan leaned in and told Deiveson Figueiredo he expected the fight to be a uniquely difficult night. Yan said he was speaking from conviction, not bluffing. The former champions settled the message in the Octagon in the event’s main bout.
Yan made good on his prediction
Yan controlled much of the five-round bantamweight contest with sharp boxing, pressure and well-timed takedowns. He won by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring every round for him, 50-45. It was a decisive win over the former flyweight champion and a return to form for Yan after a difficult stretch.
Two different paths after Macau
Yan followed the Macau victory with a unanimous decision over Marcus McGhee in July 2025. In December 2025, he defeated Merab Dvalishvili in their rematch at UFC 323 and reclaimed the UFC bantamweight championship. Yan and Dvalishvili met for the third time at UFC 333 on October 24, 2026. Yan won by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring it 48–47.
Figueiredo continued competing at bantamweight. After a split-decision win over Montel Jackson in October 2025, he lost decisions to Umar Nurmagomedov in January 2026 and Song Yadong in May. In his latest outing, Payton Talbott stopped him with strikes at 2:09 of the first round at UFC 332 on October 3, 2026.
A faceoff remembered for the result
The whisper gave the buildup a memorable moment, but Yan’s performance supplied the lasting answer. His 50-45 sweep remains one of the clearest wins of his title run, while Figueiredo’s subsequent move through the bantamweight division has brought increasingly tough tests. Their Macau main event showed the gap Yan was describing—and changed the direction of both careers.
